Grande Hutte
The Republic of Grande Hutte is a landlocked country on the continent of Tresmont. It is bordered by Tamerica, its greatest enemy, on all sides. The country's terrain is mostly mountainous, but there are large plains and valleys were the country's cities and farms are mostly located. Grande Hutte was originally known as the People's Republic of Slavonia. It was founded by a communist society of rebelling slaves in 1920. Slavonia occupied about 40% of Tamerican lands by 1925, but this figure was reduced to 0.5% by 1926. At this time, Slavonia changed its name to the People's Republic of Grande Hutte. After holding off the Tamerican army for four years, Grande Hutte was recognized by Tamerica in 1930, ending the war. After famines struck the country, Nublikata Shermina of the anti-communist Expansionist Party won the presidential election of 1930. In 1932, communism officially ended, and the country became known as the Republic of Grande Hutte. Grande Hutte invaded the region of Hutte del Norte in 1944, annexing it in 1946. In 1948, Tamerican agents committed terrorist attacks at political rallies, causing riots in the streets of Grande Hutte. In 1949, a Grandutian invasion of South Hutte ended in a Tamerican victory. Grande Hutte invaded South Hutte for the second time in 1974, annexing it in 1976. However, the subsequent invasion of West Hutte failed. Grande Hutte invaded West Hutte for the second time in 1994, annexing it in 1997. However, the subsequent invasion of Sandeye failed. In 2005, Grande Hutte launched a second invasion of Sandeye. By November 2006, Grande Hutte had a coastline, and a navy was built in 2007. However, Grande Hutte failed to take the city of Sandeye twice, and leaders decided to attack Sweat Valley instead. Unfortunately, a heat wave killed many Grandutian troops in Sweat Valley, and the Grandutian navy was destroyed in 2010. In 2011, Tamerica agreed to end the war, and the 1997 border was restored. On 7 June 2018, the new president of Tamerica, Gabriel Galab, declared war on Grande Hutte. On 23 June, Grande Hutte troops liberated Camp Rekto, where approximately 200,000 slaves were imprisoned. Grande Hutte is still at war with Tamerica. History Founding and revolution (1890-1930) After sweat slavery began in the 1890's, slave militias began to form in Sweat Valley and quickly spread to other parts of Tamerica. By 1905, most provinces had a province-wide militia group, but no higher militia authorities existed. However, in 1910, the Tamerican Slave Militias Union, the first nationwide slave militia group, was founded by Johanny Vatchyngs, a slave from the Sandeye province. In 1917, the Tamerican Slave Militias Union came under the control of communist Jefrion Buxtedman and became known as the Slavonian Society. The goal of the Slavonian Society was to establish a communist state, the People's Republic of Slavonia, to replace Tamerica. Although some militants opposed communism, only a few left the group. In 1919, Nublikata Shermina, a slave from Sweat Valley and militia veteran of 17 years, was appointed General of the Slavonian Society. On 29 April 1920, the Declaration of Supremacy, written by Buxtedman, was signed. It declared that the People's Republic of Slavonia was "superior" to Tamerica and that Tamerica's government was illegitimate, while Slavonia's government was the rightful authority in the land "unlawfully occupied" by Tamerican troops. Most militants, including Shermina and Vatchyngs, believed that the Tamerican government was legitimate, but they continued to support the People's Republic of Tamerica. On 18 August 1920, a declaration of war was issued, and Slavonian troops began attacking Tamers immediately. At first, the revolution was much more successful than expected. By the end of 1921, the province of Sweat Valley was completely occupied by Slavonia. However, Slavonian troops were soon forced out of Sweat Valley and moved east towards the Polutio Province. Slavonia began to expand to the north, suffering few losses during the next two years. The Slavonian Constitution was written by Johanny Vatchyngs and was signed on 1 April 1921. On 26 May 1922, slaves across Polutio voted in the first quadrennial presidential election in Slavonian history, on the same day that Tamers voted for their president. Buxtedman won the election and was inaugurated on 1 August 1922. In October 1924, an attack on Tamertopia was unsuccessful and caused many casualties. Slavonia managed to take the northeastern provinces during early 1925, but began to lose land in April. In October, Slavonia became landlocked, and in July 1926, Shermina issued an order for all troops and citizens of Slavonia to travel to Fort Grande Hutte in the southwestern mountains as quickly as possible. By November 1926, Slavonia had lost all of its land outside of the southwestern mountains and changed its name to Grande Hutte. However, little to no land was lost after this, and Shermina made gains in some places. On 12 April 1930, Tamerican president Marq Marxchaser agreed to a peace treaty with Grande Hutte, ending the war. Grande Hutte was also recognized as an independent nation by both Tamerica and ICON (International Conference Of Nations). Post-revolution era (1930-1950) In 1927, Buxtedman began his now infamous "One Step Ahead" plan in which large collective farms were established. Between 1928 and 1930, the resulting Great Famine killed 150,000 Grandutians after food production failed to meet expectations. In 1930, anti-communist Shermina of the Expansionist party won the presidential election. On 1 February 1932, communism officially ended in Grande Hutte, and the People's Republic of Grande Hutte became known as the Republic of Grande Hutte. In 1932, ICON troops invaded Grande Hutte twice in the First Tamerican Offensive after Shermina and other Grandutians were found guilty of war crimes in rigged ICON courts and sentenced to death. Both invasions failed. In 1933, Grande Hutte was under siege for three months, but managed to defeat the ICON troops a third time in October 1933. After Grande Hutte was accepted into ICON, the death sentences were cancelled. In 1935, the Grandutians were found not guilty of war crimes, and some Tamericans were executed in subsequent years. In 1936, Tamerica was ordered to pay war reparations to Grande Hutte. In 1937, the new Protectionist Party, with the support of Shermina, formed from members of the Expansionist Party. The Protectionists wanted to "protect what the country already had", arguing that invading Tamerica a second time could cause Grande Hutte to lose land. The Expansionists wanted to invade Tamerica, arguing that the purpose of Grande Hutte's existence was to end slavery, and that this could not be done peacefully. Because of term limits enacted in 1933, Shermina could not run for president in 1938. The Protectionist Party supported Henry Huptacc, the Secretary of State, while the Expansionist Party supported Mark Maid, the Secretary of Labor. Henry Huptacc won the election. In 1940, the Grandutian stock market crashed. In 1942, Michael Rondant of the Expansionists won the presidential election, and the economy improved. In 1944, Grande Hutte invaded the region of Hutte del Norte, as Rondant had promised. Although the war was slower than expected, Grande Hutte managed to annex the region in 1946. Hutte del Norte became a state of the Republic of Grande Hutte in 1948, becoming the first region to achieve statehood under the constitution (central Grande Hutte is not considered a state, and is instead governed directly by the federal government). Mass immigration to Grande Hutte began in 1947. Tamerican agents abused the system by entering Grande Hutte, posing as slaves. In 1948, the agents committed terrorist attacks at political rallies, killing hundreds. The two political parties of Grande Hutte blamed each other for the attacks, and some extremists began to cause riots in the streets of Grande Hutte. In 1949, a Grandutian invasion of South Hutte ended in a Tamerican victory. However, the attacks were soon discovered to be part of a Tamerican plot, and the agents were arrested, ending the riots. However, Tamers continued to enter the country and attack Grandutians for the next decade. Rustkynes peace (1950-1970) In 1950, Protectionist Geoff Rustkynes won the presidential election, promising that there would be "no more invasions, riots, or mass immigration". After taking office, he signed the Immigration Act of 1950, halting all immigration to the Republic of Grande Hutte. However, the law was struck down as unconstitutional by a district court in ''Loopez v. Republic of Grande Hutte ''due to a clause of the constitution stating, "Grande Hutte shall accept as many Tamerican slaves as safely possible." Rustkynes appealed the case to the Supreme Court, but in 1952, the law was again ruled unconstitutional. Rustkynes was able to lower taxes, which had been raised to pay for the wars. In 1954, he signed another law halting all immigration to the country. Although a district court struck the law down, the Supreme Court upheld the law, arguing that the country had become much more crowded since the 1952 ruling. After the law went into effect, illegal immigration to the country skyrocketed. Rustkynes created the Immigration Enforcement Agency to combat illegal immigration in 1956. In 1958, construction of a wall along the borders of the country began. After the wall was completed in 1960, illegal immigration rates and attacks by Tamers decreased. In 1968, the Grandutian stock markets crashed. The subsequent Economic Recovery Act worked at first, but an economic crisis soon began as the national debt increased and other countries stopped lending money to Grande Hutte. Expansionist Benjamin Bundaschtik defeated Sanders in the 1970 presidential election, ending 20 years of Protectionist rule, the longest ever for any one party. Second South Hutte war and Ruhrynrie corruption scandals (1970-1994) After the Universal Health Care Act was repealed in 1970, the national debt decreased and the economy began to recover. Bundaschtik also partially reversed Rustkynes's immigration policies, allowing some immigrants to come in. In 1974, Grande Hutte invaded the region of South Hutte. In 1976, after the Grandutian victory, South Hutte was annexed, achieving statehood in 1978. At the end of the South Hutte war, Grande Hutte invaded West Hutte, but the invasion failed in 1977, causing a recession to begin. Protectionist Robert Ruhrynrie won the 1978 presidential election. He decreased taxes and the size of the military, satisfying Protectionists, but he also legalized unlimited immigration to South Hutte. In October 1980, an investigation into bribery in the Ruhrynrie cabinet was opened. Seven cabinet members were convicted of bribery in June 1981, and Ruhrynrie's opponents accused him of corruption. He nearly lost the 1982 election to Expansionist Paul Paness, a replacement for Bupooner Yxylvyxyz (also known as Bupooneryx), who had been assassinated by the Slumm Tamer Authority in March while at a rally in Slumm. Opponents accused Ruhrynrie of conspiring with the Tamer Authority to kill Bupooneryx. An investigation was opened into a possible conspiracy, and in June 1984, sub-cabinet members of the Presidential Protection Service were found guilty of "not providing proper protection for Bupooneryx". Bupooneryx issued full pardons for the sub-cabinet members, stating, "My advisers and I are deeply saddened by the death of Bupooneryx. However, we believe that the Presidential Protection Service did its best to protect him in the circumstances that they faced. It should be noted that the assassination occurred in enemy territory, and a presidential candidate taking a trip to Tamerica was unprecedented at the time." Later that year, more cabinet members were found guilty of bribery, and an investigation into his vice president, Salam Ilami, was opened in July 1985. However, the investigation was closed in February 1986. The 1986 Protectionist nominee, Samantha Calcoolation, who had challenged Ruhrynrie in the 1982 primaries, stated that she was "not involved in the Ruhrynrie administration or any of its scandals". Although she had served four months as Secretary of Data in late 1978 before being fired by Ruhrynrie, she was generally considered an outsider. She won the general election, becoming the first female President of Grande Hutte. However, investigations into Ruhrynrie continued. Ruhrynrie was finally put on trial in 1988 in the case ''Grande Hutte v. Ruhrynrie ''after the investigation discovered major evidence of a conspiracy. In September, Ruhrynrie was found guilty of corruption, bribery, and conspiracy in the death of Bupooneryx, and he was sentenced to life in prison in November. The prosecution appealed to the Supreme Court, demanding a death sentence. On 19 July 1989, Robert Ruhrynrie was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court. However, he was pardoned by Samantha Calcoolation the next day. Calcoolation lost re-election in 1990 to Expansionist Sherman Bundaschtik, son of president Benjamin Bundaschtik, after an investigation into her began, although the investigation closed in April 1991 without prosecution. Western wars (1994-2018) Grande Hutte invaded West Hutte for the second time in 1994. After a Grandutian victory, the region was annexed in 1997 and achieved statehood in 1998, with Sherman Bundaschtik as its governor. In February 1998, Grande Hutte invaded Sandeye, hoping to gain a coast. However, the invasion failed, and Protectionist Joseph Schmeltz won the 1998 presidential election. In 2000, the stock market crashed. The national debt reached a new high in 2001, creating a debt crisis worse than that of the late 1960's. In the presidential election of 2002, Expansionist Mary Cruistright defeated Schmeltz. The debt crisis ended in 2003. In July 2005, Grande Hutte invaded Sandeye for the second time. After the 2006 elections, food and fuel rationing began in Grande Hutte. In November 2006, Grandutian troops reached the coast of southern Sandeye, giving Grande Hutte its first coastline since 1925. However, Grande Hutte failed to capture the city of Sandeye. In August 2007, the Naval Act was signed into law, creating Grande Hutte's first navy. However, because resources were being used to build a navy, Grande Hutte's army began to lose land. In April 2008, a naval invasion of the city of Sandeye failed. In December 2008, Grandutian troops marched south towards Sweat Valley. In the summer of 2009, many were killed in an intense heat wave. The troops retreated from Sweat Valley in September. In January 2010, Grande Hutte's navy was mostly destroyed in bombings. Joseph Peroulis won that year's presidential election, promising to end the war. Tamerica initially refused, but finally agreed to a ceasefire in March 2011 after Grande Hutte began to advance again. In November 2011, Peroulis agreed to give back all conquered lands to Tamerica in exchange for peace. Second Tamerican Offensive and current situation (2018-present) In 2018, Expansionist Knukh Neut Pruitt won the presidential election in Grande Hutte, and Gabriel Galab won the presidential election in Tamerica. Just 30 minutes after Galab's inauguration at midnight on 7 June, Tamerica declared war on Grande Hutte. On 23 June, Grande Hutte troops liberated Camp Rekto, where approximately 200,000 slaves were imprisoned. Camp Rekto was burned down several days later before Peroulis ordered the troops to retreat. Grande Hutte is still at war with Tamerica. Government Since 1922, Grande Hutte has been a federal presidential constitutional republic. The executive branch of the federal government is made up of the President of Grande Hutte and the 20 members of the National Cabinet. The 39-member Senate serves as the legislative branch, and the nine-member Supreme Court serves as the judicial branch. Laws must be passed by a 20-member majority of the Senate and signed by the President. Laws can be vetoed by the President or struck down by a five-member majority of the Supreme Court. Presidential vetoes can be overridden by a 26-member super-majority of the Senate. Proposing an amendment to the Grandutian Constitution requires a super-majority of 26 of the 39 Senators. Once an amendment is proposed, it must receive at least 75% of the popular vote in a nationwide referendum in order to go into effect. See also List of Presidents of Grande Hutte